Which dates on an Indian e-Visa control entry and exit: can I arrive before my planned arrival date or stay after the visa expires?

From messages by 3 participants in 1 source · Last activity: 50 days ago

TL;DR

For entry, use the “valid for entry until” date: if the e-Visa is valid until 1 December 2026, arriving in Mumbai on 27 November is allowed even if a later date was listed in the application. You must leave India no later than the visa expiry date, so a visa ending on 8 September cannot cover departure on 12 September.

What the community said

An annual Indian visa expiring on 8 September 2026 can be used to enter on 5 September, but it does not cover a stay until 12 September. Get a new visa or move your departure to no later than 8 September.

Visa expiry: 8 September 2026

The arrival date entered in the application is not a fixed travel date. With an e-Visa permitting entry until 1 December 2026, you can arrive in Mumbai on 27 November; the key requirement is entering before the last permitted entry date.

Entry valid until 1 December 2026

As long as the e-Visa entry-validity period has not ended, you may enter through an authorized international airport rather than only the airport originally expected in the application. Check the “valid for entry until” wording on the ETA before flying.

ETA: “valid for entry until”